Gundamon
by Cyberwolf
Summary: The adventures of Relena Peacekatch, her slightly psycho rival Dorothy Oak, friends Hilde Waterflower and Sally of Pewter Gym, and of course her violent (but oh so adorable) Gundamon Hiro. Finally updated!
1. But I Don't WANNA Go!

"But oniisan," whined Relena Peacekatch. The twelve-year-old girl was dressed in a black shirt, blue jean shorts, tennis shoes, and a green-and-white jacket, her blond hair done up in a ponytail that poked out of the back of her baseball cap. This was her usual outfit, but she hadn't wanted to wear it todaynot when she saw that her older brother had somehow arranged for the Gundamon League logo to be embroidered on her cap. "I don't wanna be a Gundamon trainer. I wanna stay home and"

"Laze around," interrupted her older brother calmly. "Come on, hime-chan, this trip'll be good for you! You'll have fun! Build character! Make new friends!" he said cheerfully as he dragged his reluctant younger sister to Professor J's Gundamon Center. "I'll be eaten to death by bugs. Go hungry. Fall ill" grumbled Relena.

Despite Relena's misgivings (and inclination of digging her heels into the ground, thereby making it necessary for Zechs to pull her along by main force), they soon arrived at the Gundamon center. When Professor J came outside, Relena squeaked and jumped behind her brother. "Wah! Zechs, that guy looks so scary!" she cried, fastening her arms around his leg.

"It's okay, Relena," Zechs assured her, trying to loosen her grasp before she cut off all blood circulation. "He may look scary, but he's harmless."

Lightning crackled ominously overhead at that point.

"That's strange," Zechs frowned. "It's a clear sky"

Dr. J approached the two siblings, quite undisturbed by Relena's reaction. "Ah, Miss Peacekatch," he wheezed. "I've been expecting you. So, getting ready to start on your Gundamon journey, eh?"

Relena was about to state that it wasn't HER idea, but Zechs shushed her.

"Ah, to be young again, on the open road, training your Gundamon, sleeping under the starry sky" Lietsze's _Heimdall in the Woods _begins to play. "But I'm rambling." The music stops. Much to the relief of all.

"Here is your trainer's manual, your map of the cities and Gundamon centers, your tactics guide" Relena almost fell over with the weight of all the stuff Dr. J was throwing at her. "your Trainer ID, your ESA (Evolutionary Status Analyzer) andoh. I almost forgot."

"What else?!" Relena gasped out, panting with her load.

"Your Gundamon," Dr. J said. He trotted inside the Center, while Zechs helpfully took some of the things from his sister before she collapsed. Dr. J came out again, carrying a small, silvery cage. Zechs, curious, rapped it with his knuckles. "Steel?" he said in an inquiring voice. Dr. J shrugged. "The little guy's rather strongand very violent."

The old man reached into the cage, and withdrew a tiny Gundamon. The chibi (slang for a Gundamon =) had dark, spiky hair that fell onto his sleeping face. His sturdy little arms and legs were tucked in close to his chest, curled up for slumber. He wore a little green tanktop, little black bicycle shorts, and pale yellow sneakers. A long tail, much like a cat's, was carried in a jaunty position behind him. He was the cutest thing Relena had ever seen.

"How KA-WAIII!" she squealed in delight, dropping all her stuff and snatching the little Gundamon from Dr. J.

Leaning over to Zechs, Dr. J said in a loud whisper, "I do believe she likes him."

"You think?" Zechs said sarcastically, watching as his sister delightedly cuddled her new Gundamon to herself. He wondered if the feeling was mutual, though, seeing as how the Gundamon was trying to struggle out of his sister's grasp. Or was the little guy just trying to get some air? His face did look a tad blue...

While Zechs tried to puzzle this out, Dr. J stepped forward, beaming. He knew when he saw this girl's pure, innocent eyes, that the two would be perfect together. And he was right! He so enjoyed being right... "This Gundamon is named Hiro," he told Relena. "He comes from the Yui line, which has produced many champions, such as Ayanami, former winner of the Neon cup..."

Relena wasn't listening to Dr. J's recital of her new Gundamon's genealogy, though: she was ruffling Hiro's messy crop of dark brown hair with her finger, laughing at the disgruntled look he gave his new trainer. Zechs smiled. He doubted he'd have any trouble convincing Relena to go on her Gundamon journey now...

His thoughts were cut off by the arrival of a new face. "Hello grandfather," came a low, measured voice. "Why, hello, Dorothy," Dr. J greeted his young granddaughter. "What brings you here?"

Dorothy looked over at the other twelve-year-old behind her grandfather. Dorothy and Relena had attended the same school together since they were little. And they had always been rivals- in everything from school marks, to Girl Scout badges, to grabbing the best seat in the lunchroom.

Relena finally looked up from cuddling Hiro to register her schoolmate's presence. "Oh, hi, Dorothy!" she chirped, smiling cheerily at the other girl. "What's up?"

This was another beef Dorothy had with Relena. The blasted girl didn't act at all the way a proper rival ought! How was one supposed to come up with devastating come-backs if your rival never gave you any insults to come-back? Hmph!

Ignoring Relena's friendly query, Dorothy stalked towards her 'rival' and leaned forward, scrutinizing Hiro closely. The little Gundamon, slightly frightened by this strange girl with the weird eyebrows, shrank back against his trainer. "So," Dorothy said, looking up at Relena. "You're training a Gundamon?"

The only word Relena registered was 'Gundamon'. "Yes, I just got him! Isn't he cute?" she said, holding him towards Dorothy. Eyes widening in fear, Hiro twisted out of Relena's grip, and scampered up her arm, sitting on her shoulder and watching Dorothy warily. He curled his tail around Relena's neck for extra stability. He did NOT want to be held by Dorothy, especially when he was so low in experience points.

Relena, ignoring the fact that Hiro was currently glaring at everyone, beamed and stroked his head again.

Dorothy stepped backwards. A satisfied smirk crossed her smooth features. Reaching up to finger the amulet hanging around her neck, she took up a dramatic pose, the melodrama increased by the wind that set her curtain of long silver-blond hair swinging and ruffling the edge of her purple sweater. "Relena Peacekatch, I challenge you!" she proclaimed, a Gundamball materializing in her hand. "I choose you-KYLE!" She hurled the white-and-red sphere forward.

With a flash of light, the Gundamball popped open, and a Gundamon materialized. It was a chibi boy, like Hiro, covered head-to-foot in a protective white shell reminiscent of fencing gear-and indeed, the boy held a little rapier in one hand. He jabbed at the air in front of him threateningly.

Dr J was delighted. "What a chance for Relena to get in some fighting experience, right away!" he said jubilantly. Zechs was less pleased, but still very excited. "If the defeat doesn't scar her so badly she swears off Gundamons forever, this WILL be a valuable learning experience," he concurred.

The air was thick with tension. Everyone was ready for battle.

"No way am I letting Hiro fight!" protested Relena. She glared (very mildly, it is true) at Dorothy. "He might get hurt!"

Everyone facefaulted. When Zechs, first to recover (being used to his sister making odd proclamations) picked himself off the floor, he asked her, sweatdropping, "But Relena, that's the entire point of Gundamons. They're _supposed_ to fight."

Dorothy did much more than sweatdrop. "What ARE you babbling about, idiot?!" she screamed at her supposed rival. Everyone else winced. The Gundamons, with their more sensitive hearing, clapped their hands over their ears to block out the sound. Hiro's tail stuck out straight behind him, as though he had been electrically shocked. "You CAN'T _refuse_ a challenge! Gundamon trainers are REQUIRED to fight whoever challenges them!"

Relena shook her head stubbornly. But before she could launch onto a speech on the value of pacifism among Gundamon trainers (including somewhere that she wasn't one anyway) her attention was drawn by the squirming Gundamon in her arms.

"You WANT to fight?" she asked Hiro. Hiro nodded, and recommenced his attempts to get at Kyle, who was insulting him in Gundamon sign language. His cobalt eyes blazed in fury, and he bared his teeth in a snarl. Unfortunately, as both his teeth and his mouth were small, it looked more cute than menacing.

"Fine" Relena said, sighing. "I guess I can't stop you if you really want to" She carefully set Hiro on the ground, who took off running before his feet touched the earth. "Be careful!" she cautioned.

Hiro threw a half-appeasing, half-exasperated glance back in return. He skidded to a halt before Kyle. The two Gundamons eyed each other warily. Kyle shifted his grip on his rapier, and Hiro's tail was lashing madly behind him, like a restless lion's...or kitten's.

Dr J assumed the role of judge. "Begin!" he thundered, and almost before the word had left his mouth, Dorothy was screaming: "Kyle! FENCE!"

Kyle lunged out with his rapier, trying to score a hit on the other Gundamon. Hiro dodged the thrusts deftly, but made no move to attack.

"Relena!" Zechs hissed. "You're supposed to direct your Gundamon! Tell him what attack to use!"

"What are his attacks?" Relena asked helplessly, watching the battle worriedly.

"Find out using your ESA!"

"Oh yeah" Relena pointed the small red computer at Hiro. The ESA gave an obliging beep, and displayed the results on its screen. Relena scanned over the text carefully but quickly. Never had she been so glad for being a fast reader as now.

"Hiro!" she called. "Gun Shot!"

Hiro looked back at his trainer and shook his head. It was a minute movement, caught by no one other than Relena alone, so the others were surprised when almost immediately following her first command, Relena yelled, "Okay, forget the Gun Shot, do SwordFight!"

Hiro grinned ferally. A thin-bladed saber materialized in his hand, and he charged at Kyle. Panicked by this sudden attack, Kyle whipped the air in front of him with his rapier, trying to keep Hiro away. But Hiro, moving like a lightning bolt, snaked from side to side, avoiding the blade. He seemed to just _appear_ in front of Kyle, so fast did Hiro move, and before the stunned Gundamon could react, Hiro had stabbed his sword into Kyle's face so hard it broke through his protective faceplate, the tip barely more than a millimeter away from Kyle's forehead.

Kyle collapsed onto the ground, trembling. Smirking, Hiro retrieved his saber, tucked it back into the Hammerspace pocket he kept it in, and strutted back to his trainer as Dr J declared him the winner.

* * *

**TBC...**

Yup, a GW/Pokemon crossover. The horror...the horror...(snicker) Run while you still can, my friends...

What am I planning? How about...

  * Relena accidentally destroys Hilde's bicycle. She recompensates her with her saved allowance of five thousand potch. The two become friends and decide to travel together.
  * Team Rocket, with its members Jessie, James and Marimaia, keeps trying to steal Hiro.
  * Relena beats Sally, Gym Leader of the Pewter City Gym, in a Gundamon battle. Sally also decides to join.
  * In an adventure to Mt. Moon, Hilde gains a Gundamon-Dubat, a small chibi Duo with tiny bat wings!
  * And more! Hee...


	2. Testing, Testing, One Two Three

It was nearly nightfall before the Peacekatch siblings returned to their home. Relena skipped up the driveway, Hiro perched on her shoulder, and smiled at the old man who opened the door for her. Pargan gave a gentle smile back as he watched the girl disappear into the spacious house - a smile that turned into a worried gape as he watched his young master stagger in with all the packages his younger sister had missed - such as the three trigonometry-textbook-thick manuals and the solid steel cage Relena refused to put Hiro into.

* * *

After Pargan helped Zechs store away all the Gundamon paraphernalia, the blond teenage had sat down at the kitchen table for a drink (nothing alcoholic, he was still underage) He smiled as he watched his sister chase Hiro around the house, the little cat-tailed Gundamon scampering away on all fours just a little too fast for Relena to catch him. (if you've seen Merle of _Tenku no Escaflowne_ run, that's the way Hiro moved)

Zechs looked a bit inquisitively at the Gundamon. Relena was a good runner, was in fact already being scouted out by the track-and-field coach at Zechs' high school. And Hiro was able to avoid her. Considering his size, that little sucker was _fast._

Zechs was very protective of his little sister. Their parents had died when both were very young, leaving the two all alone in the world except for Pargan. Their family had been, and still was, wealthy, and had prudently-invested assets all over as safeguards; Pargan was a kind, almost grandfatherly, caregiver - but that hadn't stopped Zechs from feeling like he was wholly responsible for his sister's welfare. Even from a young age, Relena seemed to sense her brother's concern and responded accordingly. Though arguments between the two were common and sometimes fooled acquaintances as to the exact nature of their bond, the two Peacekatch siblings adored each other. Most probably, Zechs thought in amusement, they only argued so much because they both liked debate. Relena would be hell on wheels when she joined the high school debate team.

Zechs was jolted from his thoughts as his sister sat heavily down beside him. He glanced at her fondly. "Problem with your new Gundamon?"

Relena sighed, a response more eloquent than words. Zechs thought, 'Perhaps sending her on a Gundamon journey isn't such a good idea, not if the Gundamon distrusts her that much.' Zechs remembered his own Gundamon from his journey nearly five years back, a sturdy creature named Otto. Theirs had been a fun journey; Otto wasn't an exceptionally brave or talented Gundamon, but he had been intensely loyal

A pained yowl echoed through the house. Zechs and Relena sat up in surprise just as something moving so fast it was only a blur streaked through the kitchen to land in Relena's arms. They blinked in unison, both looking at the Gundamon on Relena's lap. Hiro's tail hung limply behind him, and he glared at Pargan as the old man came in, apologizing profusely for having stepped on Hiro's tail

The story now apparent, Relena patted Hiro's head comfortingly as she glanced over at her chuckling brother. "What's so funny?"

Zechs shook his head. "Oh, nothing. It just seems that Gundamon is fonder of you than he admits."

* * *

After a delicious dinner during which Zechs scolded Relena for letting Hiro have some of her steak, Relena was about to head upstairs for a shower when Zechs grabbed her arm. "Uh-uh. Not yet, Relena," he chided her. "You've got to complete Hiro's registration first." He pointed to several sheets of paper on a desk.

Relena sighed, and nodded her acquiescence. She sat down at the desk, picked up a pen, and set to.

**Name of trainer**: Relena Peacekatch

**Age of trainer**: 12 years

**Place of residence**: Pallet Town

**Legal guardian**: Dieter Pargan

But when she got to the part about her Gundamon, she was stumped. "Zechs!" she called to her brother, who lounging in a nearby armchair and awaiting this very question. "Help me with this?" she asked him. Grinning, her brother hurried over, and Relena repressed the urge to roll her eyes. Zechs was an excellent Gundamon trainer; but this was the first chance he had to show off his knowledge to his younger sister.

"It's actually fairly simple," he assured Relena. "If it's so simple," Relena responded dryly, "then why do you need a whiteboard to diagram it?" Zechs did not look at her as he continued to wheel in the large whiteboard.

He picked up a blue marker and started scribbling. "There are four general criteria that the League uses to classify Gundamons," he explained as the blue marker flew over the white surface. Hiro had been napping all curled up on a sofa cushion. He now sat up, after going through a series of stretching very much like that of a new-awakened tabby. With a smooth leap, he bounded onto the tabletop, right next to the stack of papers that would make him officially known to the Gundamon League. Relena reached over to ruffle his head fondly.

Zechs cleared his throat importantly, drawing both Relena and Hiro's attention to the whiteboard. "These four criteria, which are used to cross-index the Gundamon, are: physical appearance; bloodline; attack type; and affinity." Zechs wrote each on the board as he rattled them off. Taking out a laser pointer Relena hadn't even known he'd had, he tapped 'Physical Appearance' and 'Bloodline'.

"These two are just what they sound like. Now, the Appearance is easy to fill in; just look at your Gundamon."

**Hair/fur color**: brown

**Eye color**: dark blue

**Armor**: tanktop and cycling shorts (_type: clothing)_

**Distinguishing features** (_if applicable_): tail (_catlike)_

Okay, next is Bloodline. This one is as often as not unfilled. Just as many Gundamon come from the wild as from labs, and of course you can't track bloodline then. But anyway, we do happen to have this little guy's bloodline on file. Relena, point your ESA at Hiro and press the red button on the right."

Relena did so, and a screenful of data popped onto the screen. She pressed the small yellow tab button next to **Bloodline: Yui Strain** and the screen was replaced by a list of Gundamon of the Yui line and their achievements.

**Yui Strain**

**Place of origin:** believed to be Eurasia point J

**Characteristics of the line**

  * Single-minded determination to complete their tasks  

  * Absolute loyalty to their chosen  

  * Inclined more to silence (this does not hold true for all of them)  

  * Incredibly violent tendencies (sometimes suppressed, but always there)

**Famous Members**

  * **Ayanami: **nicknamed Rei, winner of the Neon Cup
  * **Kaoru:** member of the team who won the Ura Butou Satsujin
  * **Glace: **famous hunter with infamous shapeshifting abilities
  * **Marron:** Glace's brother, a multi-affinity Gundamon
  * **Hiei:** member of the team who won the Ankoku Bujutsukai; aka the Black Dragon

Zechs continued. "As you can see, Hiro has got a rather illustrious background. Now we move on to Attack Type. This is determined according to what the attack of the Gundamon usually is."

"There's Straight, wherein they use conventional means to inflict purely physical harm. There's Psychic, where the attack affects not the body but the mind of the Gundamon. And lastly there's Status Effect, which does little to no actual damage but impairs the Gundamon's ability to fight until it can be treated."

"Some attacks are a mix of two types, or some Gundamons can have an array of attacks that come from different types. On the whole, though, Gundamons tend to stick to mostly one type. Yours is a Straight attack Gundamon - Gun Shot and Sword Fight both deal with physical harm." Hiro's tail twitched, and just as if he understood they were discussing his attacks, he let the outline of the saber he used in Sword Fight shimmer in the air for a brief moment. He let it disappear, looking smug.

"The last, and most mysterious, is Affinity. Gundamons can somehow tap into raw forces that flow, unnoticed by us, through the earth. These forces manifest as, for lack of a better word, elemental powers. Gundamons are able to tap into one of seven of these forces: fire, earth, water, wind, ice, rock, or metal. The Affinity determines what type of Gundamons they'd be strong or weak against and predict some abilities the Gundamon might be able to learn. For example, my Gundamon, Otto, was a Metal Affinity. He was strong against Wind, Rock, and Earth; weak against Fire, Water, and Ice; and was able to learn how to project a magnetic field."

"Wow! Really?" asked Relena, aquamarine eyes shining. "Cool! So, which kind is he? Huh?"

Zechs shrugged. "We won't know till we test him."

* * *

The two siblings, with Hiro carried along in Relena's arms, stood in the garage. In front of them was a bowl of soil, a bowl of water, a small candle burning steadily, a large metal wrench, a glass full of ice cubes, a small heap of stones, and an empty bowl.

Zechs gestured at the odd assortment. "Each is supposed to represent one of the Affinities. Now, we" he was interrupted by his younger sister.

"So, where's the one supposed to represent Wind?"

Zechs pointed to the empty bowl.

"But that's empty!"

"Noooo, it's actually filled with air, right? And wind is moving air, so."

"Alright, alright. Let's get on with it!"

Relena bent down, letting Hiro leap out of her arms. He turned his tousled head to look at Relena curiously. Relena made shooing motions with her hands. "Go on, go on!"

Hiro padded forward, stopping just before the row of Affinity representatives. He looked from one to the other, his tail whisking slowly from side to side.

Zechs and Relena waited with bated breath.

Hiro yawned widely, wrapped his tail around himself as he curled up on the floor, and resumed his interrupted nap.

Sweatdrops all around - even the row of items got them.

"Hey! Wake up you arrogant little sucker! And pick!" Zechs yelled. He started forward, slowed by Relena's hanging onto his shirttail, yelling.

Hiro, started out of his nap, glared at Zechs. A slight breeze started, ruffling everyone's hair. Zechs didn't notice, too busy trying to untangle Relena's hands from his shirt. At least, he didn't notice until the wind was strong enough to whip his hair around so hard it stung. Just like in a storm

Relena and Zechs turned, slowly, to see Hiro glaring at them - well, more at Zechs. The air around him glowed softly, making it easy to see the tornado it was forming into around him.

"Oooh-kaaay," Zechs said, slowly. "So I guess his Affinity is Wind" He then started sprinting out as fast as he could, leaving a dust cloud in his wake. Hiro followed, looking evilly smug, the mini-tornado still glowing about him. Relena tore after the two of them, alternating between yelling at her Gundamon and at her brother.

In the garage, the water's surface stilled, the wind-born ripples fading away. The ice stopped clinking against the glass, and the soil, stones and metal wrench remained as still as ever. 

* * *

AN: Heh heh...here's a Valentine's Day present to all you nice people out there. ^_^ 

A few notes: the last passage is the first hint to a secret about Hiro...look at it closely. Secondly, all of Hiro's 'relatives' are based off other anime characters who look or act like him. Can you place them? 


	3. The Challenge And How It Fell Flat

Imagine the sight – a herd of wild Taurus as they stampede, green metal coats gleaming, thrusters burning at maximum. Very few images can inspire such terror as a herd of these notoriously bad-tempered Gundamon on a rampage. 

Of these few, the expression on Dorothy Oak's face as she stomped through the streets of Pallet Town ranked among the most frightening. 

The blond-haired girl glared hatefully at the Gundamball in her right hand, fixing it with a stare so intense as to give rise to the thought that the small red-and-white sphere might catch on fire. She ignored the frantic way the townspeople scrambled out of her path, as she ignored most of the townspeople's activities as being below her.

_'I can't believe I lost to Mss Let's-never-fight!' _she raged inwardly. _'To be defeated by that little wimp and her stupid little kit…!' _

"Aaaargh!" she suddenly cried out, giving vent to her feelings and startling two nearby swallows into flight. "This is all your fault, Kyle!" she accused the Gundamon (who, being inside his Gundamball, was unable to hear anything his mistress screamed, yelled, shrieked or shouted) "If only you weren't so weak…"

"D…Dorothy-sama!" stammered one highly nervous girl as Dorothy passed. Dorothy glanced at her idly as she walked by. The girl was a classmate of hers – Jenny? Julie? Dorothy shrugged. It didn't really matter. She was a quiet, high-strung adolescent, as Dorothy recalled, quick to cry, quick to laugh, always shy – and she loved Gundamon! Dorothy's eyes narrowed as an idea came to her. 

"Here," she told the other girl, thrusting the Gundamball into the startled girl's hands. "You can have it." 

Jenny/Julie's eyes widened. "Really?" she squealed, clutching the Gundamball to her chest like it was the answer to all her prayers. When she received an affirmative nod, she squealed again – much to Dorothy's dismay. "Oh, thank you, thank you, Dorothy-sama!"

Dorothy gave an indifferent shrug – something she did very well, and very often. "Ah, it was nothing." Which was the truth after all. 

The brown-haired girl poured out another profusion of gratitude before skipping – skipping, actually _skipping! – _out of sight. 

Dorothy smirked in satisfaction – now she was free of that pathetic excuse for a living creature – and headed for her own home. 

***

          "I'm home!" Dorothy announced, removing her shoes as she stepped inside the Oak family home. Aside from the Peacekatchs' dwelling, which was a mansion complete with tennis courts, riding stables and butler and therefore in a whole other range of comparison, the Oak residence was the largest building in Pallet. 

          "Hello, Dorothy," a smooth, cultured voice greeted her. Treize K. Oak, Dorothy's eighteen-year-old cousin, stuck his head out from his room to greet his younger relative. Treize – whose full name was Treize Khushrenada von Oak, not that anyone (including himself) bothered to remember most of the time – was a young aspiring Gundamon expert. Despite never having gone on a Gundamon journey himself – and having no desire to do so – Treize knew more about Gundamon than ninety percent of the population, and was studying under his grandfather in order to know more than the remaining ten percent. 

"Grandfather isn't here; he's still at the Center, checking up on the sick Aries," he told Dorothy. He grinned slyly. "He stopped by earlier, though. Told me about that Gundamon battle earlier today. My, but that Peacekatch girl is turning into quite the trainer, isn't she? Or is it that my dear cousin is just, do I dare say, losing her touch?" 

Laughing at the enraged look that came over Dorothy's face, Treize turned to go inside his room…

And suddenly pitched forward as the vase that Dorothy had hurled with great accuracy and force made violent contact with the back of his head.

***

          _'I'll show him!' Dorothy fumed. __'I'll show all of them! I will be the very best, like no one ever was…to catch them is my real test, to train them is my cause…hm, that's sort of catchy.' Dorothy paused in donning her protective gear to muse over the possibility of turning it into a song. __'Nah.' She shook her head and went back to work._

          Ten minutes later, fully-outfitted and with a full bag of supplies, she walked out the door – pointedly ignoring the red-blond boy lying insensate on the floor. 

***

          Dorothy stopped at the edge of Viridian Forest to double-check her supplies. Finding everything in order, she took a deep breath – and plunged in. 

Three hours, twelve minutes and sixteen point five seconds later, she re-emerged. It was late, and the sun was beginning to set, casting a reddish glow over clothing now ripped and torn; over a face marked with several bramble scratches, as was the rest of her skin; over a hand purple and puffy from a disastrous encounter with poison ivy ; and over a triumphant expression that must have rivaled Caesar's face as he crossed the Tiber. 

          The reason for this lay in her hand. She clutched a Gundamball that held a captured little Gundamon – a Quatrepuff. Quatrepuff – or Quatre for short – was a chibi-boy. He had been easy to spot because of his pink shirt that stood out against the green and brown of the foliage, but less easy to catch – the Gundamon with large blue-green eyes was, despite his unthreatening appearance, a formidable opponent with his Song Attack and his Pound Attack. 

          Of course, this just made Dorothy happier. '_Just wait, Relena!_' she thought gleefully. 

***

The next day, Dorothy – with Quatrepuff in tow – arrived at the Peacekatch house bright and early. She would now challenge Relena to a rematch, win and be acknowledged as the best Gundamon trainer in Pallet again. She was sure that Quatrepuff would make the difference, even if she had had a devil of a time practicing Quatrepuff's attacks – that Song attack of his (during which he pulled out a violin and started playing) had caused her to fall asleep numerous times. 

_'Just another obstacle to surmount on the way to being The Best!_' she thought, clenching a fist dramatically. She then knocked on the door and waited impatiently. As soon as the door swung open, she yelled: "I challenge you, Relena Peacekatch!" and released Quatrepuff. 

The little Gundamon blinked as he was suddenly exposed to bright sunlight.

"I am sorry." 

Dorothy was startled to hear the voice of an old man instead of Relena's. She looked again at the door to be confronted with the image of Pargan explaining gently, "I do apologize, but young miss Relena left for her Gundamon journey earlier. She is probably out of the town limits by now – her older brother gave her a lift to the next city." 

Dorothy screamed. 

As soon as she was done shattering glass for miles around, she immediately calmed down._ 'So what if she's gone…I can catch up to her, knowing her she'll probably get mugged within two minutes of leaving her brother's company and I can catch up!'_

"Come, Quatrepuff!" she commanded regally. "We must get ready for our journey!" 

When no compliant little Gundamon appeared at her side, Dorothy frowned and repeated the command. Again, nothing happened. Dorothy looked around, and saw Pargan pouring the Gundamon some tea, using a doll's teaset. Quatrepuff chirped his thanks politely as Pargan nodded and went back inside. 

Dorothy sweatdropped.

***

**AN: **Many many thanks to Becky Tailweaver (Queen of Plausible Stories), Trio, Kanya and Aire for betaing this chapter for me. It wouldn't have been half as nice without them. (huggles)

And sorry for the delay. The nice thing about basing this off Pokemon is now I actually have a storyline for them to stick to…somewhat. 

I believe Wumei generously made a fanart for this series – one of the single nicest things anyone's ever done for me. Unfortunately I cannot find her site anymore, after my break from GWing World… ;_;

Ja ne! And who here's into Digimon? Season 3, the Tamers series, to be precise? 


End file.
